The invention relates to a gas delivery device for coupling to a pressurized gas source or pressure vessel, such as a pressurized cylinder used for storage and transportation of medical and industrial gases.
Generally, high-purity gases are used in many industries, such as manufacturing, in electronic applications, and in the medical field. These gases are typically provided to users in pressurized cylinders that may be configured to be highly transportable for use in laboratories, workshops, medical settings, and remote locations by scientists, medical personnel, medical patients, among others.
Generally, in the medical field, medical gas therapy includes providing high-purity gases to individuals or patients before, during, or after a medical procedure, in response to some sickness or malady, or to individuals who are otherwise in need of supplemental gases. Examples of high-purity gases used in the medical field include oxygen (O2), nitrogen (N2), nitrous oxide (NO2), a nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture, among others. These gases are generally provided in high pressure aluminum and steel cylinders at pressures that range from 500-2200 psi. The pressurized cylinders may be of a size that facilitates transportability of the cylinder to enable easy transportation of the gas by users. The small size of the pressurized cylinders also enables use of the gas by individuals at work, in the home, and in recreational pursuits.
Gas control devices, such as pressure regulators, gas flow controllers, flowmeters, valve integrated pressure regulators (VIPR's), and other integrated regulator/fill/delivery devices, are typically coupled to the pressurized cylinders to facilitate delivery, filling, and general valving of the gas contained therein. The gas control device may be integral to the pressurized cylinder or may be removably coupled to the cylinder to facilitate use of the device on more than one cylinder. The gas control device and the pressurized cylinder may be generally referred to as a portable medical gas delivery system that is used by persons needing supplemental gas and/or persons in the medical field. These portable medical gas delivery systems may be further coupled to a cart or dolly having wheels or casters to enhance transportability.
As the portable medical gas delivery systems are highly transportable, the systems are often subject to tip-over events and the gas control device coupled thereto is subject to impacts with solid objects during use, handling, transportation, and storage. These impact events may damage the gas control device. To protect the portable medical gas delivery system from potential damage, shrouds or protective covers disposed on or around the system and/or the gas control device have been developed.
Conventional gas control or gas delivery devices coupled to the pressurized cylinders are generally scaled similarly to the cylinder and are typically small to minimize weight and facilitate transportability. For example, the pressurized cylinders generally include a height and a diameter, and the gas control device and/or the protective cover includes an outer dimension, which may include a perimeter or outer diameter that substantially matches the diameter of the pressurized cylinder. This scaling of the gas delivery device and/or protective cover lends an aesthetic aspect to the portable gas delivery system, and may also minimize weight and bulk of the system, which facilitates greater transportability.
Portable gas delivery systems are generally configured to allow a user to adjust various parameters of the gas control device to facilitate filling and/or delivery of the gas to or from the pressurized cylinder. Examples include adjustments to flow rate, velocity, volumetric adjustments, among others, either to or from the pressurized cylinder. Generally, conventional gas control or delivery devices include a coupling portion adapted to couple to the pressurized cylinder, and include at least one output valve configured to control flow rate of outgoing gas to a user. The output valve typically includes a dial or handwheel that may be accessed by a user to adjust the flow rate.
In one example of a conventional gas delivery device and protective cover, the handwheel to control flow rate is coupled to an upper or outer surface of the gas control device, and the handwheel typically includes characters or values indicative of a flow parameter. As this handwheel is configured to easily move in response to a desired adjustment, the handwheel is generally protected or shielded by a handle or other protective member to prevent accidental movement of the handwheel. While conventional handles or protective members may prevent undesired movement of the handwheel, access to the handwheel by the user and/or recognition of numbers or characters indicative of the flow parameter value may be limited. For example, the handle or protective member may partially cover or otherwise obstruct a view of the flow value characters. This limited view may result in an improper adjustment by a user, which may cause injury to the user. In an emergency procedure or other process where personnel are engaged to perform a double-check of flow values, the limited view of flow value characters may prevent the personnel from performing their task from a stationary position and may be required to move to a position nearer the handwheel in order to view the values. In another example, a user with a large hand or a user experiencing limited movement in the hand and/or arm by the onset of disease or injury may not be able to easily access the handwheel due to the limited area between the protective member or handle and the handwheel, which may prevent the user from performing the desired adjustment.
In addition, conventional protective covers are designed to minimize size and weight with little or no thought to a surface that minimizes pockets, corners, protrusions, concavities, and the like. The surfaces with pockets, corners, protrusions, concavities, and the like may trap debris and/or fluids, such as bodily fluids, that may create a biohazard if not cleaned. For example, outer surfaces with closely spaced elements and/or areas behind or adjacent elements such as the handwheel may trap fluids and debris that are accidentally impinged thereon. In order to sufficiently clean these surfaces, the protective cover and/or the gas control device may need to be disassembled, cleaned, and re-assembled prior to use.
Also, while conventional protective covers may allow access to some adjustment mechanisms of the gas delivery device, the protective covers may not allow sufficient access to a coupling interface of the gas delivery device configured to couple to the pressurized cylinder. As an example, the gas delivery device may be hand-tightened to the pressurized cylinder by relative rotation of one or both of the gas delivery device and the pressurized cylinder, and then a wrench or tool may be used to further tighten the hand-tight connection. Decoupling may operate inversely using the wrench or tool to loosen the gas delivery device from the pressurized cylinder. The conventional protective covers, however, may surround or otherwise limit access to the coupling interface of the gas delivery device and the protective cover may need to be at least partially disassembled to provide access to the coupling interface by the wrench or tool.
What is needed is a gas control device and protective cover that is ergonomically and practically designed in order to reduce difficulties encountered during coupling, adjustment, and/or refilling procedures. In addition, the protective cover should include a design that facilitates cleaning and/or minimization or elimination of areas that may trap fluids or debris.